Cancun Area Day Trips

1 - Pesca Maya/Acension Bay/Boca Paila - fishing for bonefish, permit, tarpon and snook. There is quite good wade fishing for bonefish. 2 - Isla Holbox - fishing for juvenile tarpon sometimes large adult tarpon to 80 lbs +. This is all fishing out of boats. 3 - Isla Blanca - A large bay north of Cancun that is a mangrove-lined home to many juvenile tarpon, bonefish, snook and permit in the warmer months. Fishing is all done out of boats.

Arrivals and Departures

All trips originate in Cancun or Playa del Carmen and are by the day so there is total flexibility. There is the option to do overnights between 2 day trips if space is available.

Accomodations

These are typically day trips, returning to your hotel or condo that evening. There is the option to do overnights between 2 day trips if space is available at Pesca Maya and Isla Holbox.

Non Anglers / Activities

These are day fly-fishing trips

Airport / Logistics

Anglers fly into Cancun. These are 3 different day trip options for anglers in the Cancun area on business or a trip with their family that would like to fish for a day or two. All trips include hotel pick up in Cancun or Playa del Carmen. Other pickup locations south of Cancun are possible for anglers headed to Acension Bay. Travel time to Acension Bay and Holbox is 3 hours. Travel time to Isla Blanca is under an hour.

Climate

The weather is typical of the western Caribbean with temperatures from the low 70's to mid 90's. The coolest months are December - February. There is typically a breeze. Expect rain showers now and then.

There is no need to change money. Gratuities, flies and leaders should be taken care of with cash.

Gratuities

The following gratuities are suggested for the total amount for the boat for 2 anglers. Acension Bay - $15 for the driver, $40-60 for the guide. Isla Holbox - $15 for the driver, $40-60 for the guide. Isla Blanca $10 for the driver and $40-60 for the guide.

Medical Facilities

The nearest medical facilities are in Tulum or Cancun.

Documentation

Visitors from the US are required to have a passport. You will be issued a tourist card. There are no vaccinations required. There is a departure tax from Mexico.

Beverages

For day trips, beverages are included. The Pesca Maya/Acension Bay based trip is the only one that supplies beer. If you would like other beverages than those listed, please bring them yourself.

Laundry

No laundry service on day trips.

Phone, Internet, Power

Phone: paid phone

Internet: no internet

Power: 110 volts

Ascension Bay/Boca Paila is the best area to flats fish if you are staying in Cancun, Playa del Carmen or the Riviera Maya. The guides will choose the area to fish according to your preference and weather conditions. If you are a beginner or if it’s your first time fly fishing, they will primarily target schools with small bonefish (1–2 pounds). Because the school is easier to see, you can cast close to the school edge and they will compete for your flies (most times). When your eyes get used to seeing bonefish swimming or tailing and you become comfortable casting in the wind, the guide will work the flats, positioning the wind on your back helping you to spot the fish. Wind protection is one of the great advantages of this area. They typically find protected flats or lagoons where you can see and cast at bonefish, permit, tarpon, snook, jacks, barracuda and other species. Fishing is year around. Driving time ranges from 2 to 3 hours.

Isla Blanca
Their guide Enrique has been guiding in the Isla Blanca and Cancun area for over 12 years. He is one of the longest full-time guides in the area and has been fishing these waters since he was a little kid. You will be in good hands with him; he is known for his patience, passion for the sport, and never-ending effort to find fish for people.

Baby Tarpon and Snook can be found year round in the Cancun and Isla Blanca area. If you're looking for Bonefish, the summer months are the most productive. For those who are after Permit, Isla Blanca is the way to go with large numbers of fish showing up in the peak months of May through August. Other species available are barracuda, snappers, jacks, sea trout and ladyfish. The area is rarely fished and a lot of the water is so shallow that commercial fishing boats can not enter the area. Fishing is out of a custom 18-foot Panga with a 40hp Yamaha four-stroke engine. These Pangas can be poled in less than ten inches of water. The launch point is 30 to 45 minutes from the Cancun Hotel Zone.

Isla Holbox
Isla Holbox located on the northeast tip of the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico is blessed with one of the world's outstanding tarpon habitats. Holbox is a small and pristine island with beautiful white sand beaches, surrounded by a magnificent turquoise colored sea. The Tarpon fishing is year round, but most of the giants have been landed during the summer months. Here in the shallow mangrove flats you will find abundant baby tarpon and snook throughout the year. But is the migratory fish that make Holbox a unique flyfishing destination.

You will be transfered from Cancun by the Pesca Maya driver to the village of Chiquila. It is at the far northern side of the peninsula approximately 2+ hours drive from Cancun. In Chiquila, you will be greeted by your guide and taken by boat (a 20 minute ride) across the Yalahau lagoon to the fishing sites.